Favorite Orange Flowered Bulbs
Kenneth Hixson (Fri, 19 Mar 2004 21:45:53 PST)

Hi, Members
Orange flowered, AND a favorite? I don't think I can do this.
I do grow bulbs with orange in the flowers, so maybe they qualify as
favorites if they are still here. These are in no particular order:

Narcissus--Jetfire is smallish, early, lasts well and has an orange
cup or trumpet, which is now "burning", as it has been out at least
two weeks. Itzim is similiar, but I do not like it as much.
Geranium, a tazetta has orange cups and white perianth, and doesn't
"burn" as quickly as many tazettas.
Professor Einstein is a large cup-there are probably better, but it
persists and doesn't "burn" much. Curiously, it is planted in the
planter strip between the sidewalk and the street, and it faces the
street-narcissus usually face south to the sun. Perhaps the trees
to the south cast enough shade to make the street brighter.
Probably helps it last longer before burning.
Montbretia, or crocosmia. Vigorous, spreading, persistant. In other words,
a weed, but a useful one. There are probably better than what I have,
and more will be trialed. Crocosmia Lucifer, tall and red, has not
been very persistant. Crocosmia masonorium did not survive, possibly
in a spot too dry?
Hyacinth Salmon Queen--Not really orange, but a different color for a
hyacinth.
Kniphofia-I had, and lost, a solid orange flowered kniphifia, and would
like to replace it. For whatever reason, I prefer solid colors
over bicolors.
Lilies--I've already gone on and on about lilies, so forgive me.
L. henryi--valued as one parent of the aurelian hybrids, later
flowering than many, durable, persistant. Leans, so shouldn't
be planted by a walkway.
L tsingtauense is a martagon relative, and has small but absolutely
lurid orange flowers. It is perhaps even more attractive for the
mottled foliage, rivaling any trillium. As the summer goes on it
does fade. This needs to be replaced, as it was probably the
victem of voles/mice.
L dauricum is usually orange with some red and yellow. An important
parent of the asiatic hybrids, many of the early asiatics were
simply selections of this species.
Late wilsonii hybrid--distributed under this name, this has lived
much longer than many asiatic hybrids.
Hartford, one of the "Connecticut Hybrid" group of asiatic lilies,
has lasted about 30 years.
L maximowiczii is flourescent orange, tall and few flowered, and
not easy. Even hyrids like Viva do not like me. Wishlist

Ken Z7 western Oregon